Minnesotans mourn Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA event at U of M
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More than 1,600 people gathered Monday at the University of Minnesota’s Northrop Auditorium for “The American Comeback Tour” — the college event originally hosted by Charlie Kirk.
Michael Knowles, a conservative commentator and author, took to the stage to honor Kirk and take questions at the Turning Point USA event.
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on Sept. 10 by a gunman during the tour’s kickoff event at Utah Valley University. Last Thursday, Colorado State University held the first stop of “The American Comeback Tour” since Kirk was killed.
Knowles used the beginning of his remarks to remember Kirk.
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“Charlie accomplished more in his 31 years than most people could accomplish in many lifetimes,” said Knowles. “His most public accomplishments were political. His most important were religious. He wanted to be remembered for his faith."
During an open question-and-answer session, audience members raised topics from women’s suffrage to cancel culture and media bias. Some questions reflected far-right perspectives, including calls to revisit the 19th Amendment, while others challenged Knowles on issues of free speech. The exchanges underscored both the intensity of support for Kirk’s movement and the polarizing debates surrounding his legacy.
A line had formed outside the auditorium by 4 p.m. ahead of doors opening at 5:30 p.m. for students and 6 p.m. for general admission.
In the line was Keane Pfeifer of St. Paul, who said he is a high-school senior taking classes at the U.
He said he hadn’t heard of Kirk until the lead-up to the 2024 election and liked that Kirk was willing to talk with liberals — “and I also just agree with him on most of his points.”
“Charlie was an inspiration for me to speak out and be confident in what I believe in. He started Turning Point USA when he was 18 years old,” which is how old Pfeifer is now. “It has shown that youth can make a difference … if we come together and work together.”
The University of Minnesota said the attendance count for Monday night’s event, based on ticket scans, was 1,673. The U said that figure did not include some volunteers who may not have scanned tickets.
Minnesotans also organized vigils for Kirk in cities across the state in recent days, including one scheduled for Monday night at the Minnesota State Capitol.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA to mobilize young, Christian conservatives. It’s seen a surge in interest and support since the activist’s assassination.
Turning Point became a multimillion-dollar operation under Kirk’s leadership and was credited with helping to return President Donald Trump to office. Since Kirk’s killing, his podcast and social media have attracted millions of new followers. There has been an outpouring of interest in expanding Turning Point’s footprint on college and high school campuses, the group’s spokesperson says, and large-scale events like Monday’s are continuing as planned.
Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements that some called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic. That has drawn backlash from conservatives who view the criticism as cherry-picking a few select moments to insult the legacy of someone they see as an inspirational conservative leader.
The U of M tour stop comes as Minnesota is on edge following a spate of mass shootings, including one at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis that killed two children and injured 21 others last month.
University of Minnesota president Rebecca Cunningham sent out a notice last Friday addressing the violence on display at schools and campuses across the state and nation.
“I also want to acknowledge the anxiety about Monday evening’s Turning Point event on our campus,” Cunningham said in the statement. “We recognize those concerns and have updated our safety protocols to take every precaution warranted to ensure safety for all.”
Groups protesting Turning Point’s event planned a demonstration nearby Monday evening. Organizers include local chapters of Black Lives Matter, Racial Justice Network and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice. Around 50 participants gathered holding signs such as “Say No to Hate” and quoting Kirk demeaning George Floyd or transphobic rhetoric.
Sima Shakhsari, a professor at the U, told the crowd that Turning Point USA had given them a “badge of honor.” They’re on the organization’s “Professor Watchlist,” a website that lists professors and their schools in an effort to “expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.”
Shakhsari said “by putting people’s names, faculty’s names on their list, they’re putting us in danger.”
Organizers of the protest say Kirk “built a platform that traffics in dangerous rhetoric and normalizes hate speech under the guise of ‘patriotism’ and ‘free speech.’ Far from being a champion of liberty, Kirk and his associates have consistently spread racist, anti-immigrant, anti-women, and anti-LGBTQ+ narratives that echo white nationalist talking points.”
Trey Brumley attended the demonstration. He said when he saw Turning Point’s event was moving forward after Kirk was killed, he felt it was important to show up to protest.
“Although we do not condone in any way the actions that led to his death,” said Brumley. “We also do not condone the things he said in life.”
Brumley said he was particularly moved to come to the protest in support of his transgender loved ones. Kirk opposed transgender rights and called transgender people “so against the natural law and dare I say a throbbing middle finger to God.”
Brumley said he felt it was important to be counted among those who opposed Kirk’s beliefs.
“Family, loved ones, people I don’t know. If one of us is attacked by hate speech,” said Brumley. “Then the rest of us are not safe."
MPR News reporters Matt Sepic, Chandra Colvin and Regina Medina contributed to this story, along with The Associated Press.
Editor’s note (Sept. 23, 2025): MPR News’ original estimate of the crowd size in Northrop Auditorium was based on a reporter’s visual observation and the auditorium's capacity. The university later provided an estimate of the crowd size, and the story has been updated to reflect that.
